US2409900A - Fluorescent lighting fixture servicing implement - Google Patents

Description

. FLUORE$CENT LIGHTING FIXTURE SERVICING IMPLEMENT R. T. RIKER ETAL INVENTORS 05527" 7'. BIKER. BY J'oSEP/l h. M04117 Filed Jan. 24, 1945 7 7/ I I. V////////// A i gz v Patented Oct. 22, 1946 UN I-TED STATES D FF ICE FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE SERVICING IMPLEMENT Robert T. Biker and J osephH. Molat, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application January 24, 19515,-Serial No. 574,304

6 Claims. 1

Our invention is directed toward a novel and improved appliance for servicing fluorescent lighting fixtures, and has for one of its objects to provide an appliance of the character described which shallbe so constructed and arranged that defective elongated glass tubes of the type customarily employed in fluorescent lighting fixtures and which fixtures are hung from the ceiling or disposed at other points beyond reach may be readily removed and replaced by an operator from the floor Without the necessity of using ladders and Without the necessity of removing the fixture.

Another object of our invention is to provide anovel and highly improved appliance for servicingfiuorescent'lighting fixtures'by means of which the elongated glass tubes which comprise such fixtures may be removed and replaced without damage to thefixture or the tube and which at the same time shall be provided with means for readily removing and replacing defective starters.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent from the description or will hereinafter bepo'inted out.

In the accompanying draviing,

Fig. 1 is aside elevational view, partly sectional, of a fluorescent lighting Jfixture servicing appliance constructedandarranged'in accordance with ourinve'ntion";

Fig.2 is a front elevational view portion thereof Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion "of the appliance shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4' is an enlarged detail view of a portion adjacent thebottom end of the appliance shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating its function and purpose.

Referring now in detail to the drawing wehave shown an appliance for servicing fluorescent fixtures constructed and arranged in accordance with our invention and comprising a pairof substantially vertically disposed arms t and H of resilient or spring material and which may be attached at their lowerends to a suitable base support 1 2 byanydesirableattaching'means, such as "by the screws 16. The said arms t0 and Il are preferably arranged so that they normally spread apart, tapering in an upward direction. At-the upp'erends-of'thearms I 0 and i i there are fixedly attachei:l,*in any well known manner, jaw members 13 and I25 respectively. It is noted that the said jaw members 14 and P are arcuate in shape and are normally spaced apart a sufficient-distance to freely embrace diametrically oppos'itesides of an elongated glass tube T of the standard type customarily emof the upper ployed in fluorescent lighting fixtures. It is further noted that the said jaw members l4 and i5 extend longitudinally in a horizontal direction parallel to the axis of the said tube T and that they project for a. predetermined distance beyond said arms l0 and fl in both directions. It is note'dthatthe length of the jaw members l4 and I5 maybe varied in accordance with the length of the tube. The said jaw members i4 and I5 are provided on the inner surfaces thereof with layers20 of materialwhich is preferably of the type which is relatively soft sees not to injure the glass tube when the jaws l4 and f5 grip the same and they'are'additionally of the type which will frictionally hold the said glass tube T so that it may be'rotated axially for the purposes of removing and replacing the same.

It is. thus seen from the above described construction "that when it is desired to remove aiglass tube T from a fluorescentfixture for the purpose of replacing the same or for other reasons, it is merely necessaryto'passthejaws l4 and f5 freely on diametrically opposite sides of the said tube and then cause the said jaws to be brought to- "getherfto grip'the said tube therebetween and then by slightly" turning the gripped tube axially, it may be freed and removed from its supporting brackets.

Ina'ccorda'nce with our invention the following means may be employed'for causing the said jaws T4" and I 5 'to be moved toward each other against the normal action of the spring arms H1 and H.

Fixed to the arm [0 is a bracket 25 to which there is ,pivotally attached one end of a rod member 26, by meansof the pivot 2'1. The free end 2612. of. the rod "26 is screw threaded and passes freely-through and projects beyond a slotted opening .2 in the arm '11. Fixed to the base member i2 is a rigidsupporting arm 31, having an integral upstanding portion 31a. Attached to, the said portion .3Ia.by the rivets 34, is a leaf spring 33, so curved as to have one end 33!; thereof freely contactively engaging the arm H below said rod 26, andthe. opposite end 33b thereof freely contactivelyenga'ging the arm H at apoint adjacentithe jaw t5. Disposed near said'portion 3|a and normally parallel thereto is a rigid member 29 pivotally mountedati its lower end, by means of a pivot'tfl, on thesupporting arm 3i.

Thespring '33, the rigid portion 31a and the rigid member 29 are each provided with slotted openings 35,31 and 28', respectively, to permit free angular movement ofthe rod'26 projec'ting therethrou'gh.

It i'ss'een from the abov description that when 3 the rigid member 29 is pivotally moved in a clockwise direction as viewed from Fig. 1 and 3, it will cause the arm In to move toward the arm I l due to the fact that the rod 26 is provided with an abutment nut 32. The rigid portion Sid and the spring 33 interposed between the said arm portion 31a and the arm ll causes the simultaneous movement of the arm I l toward the arm I0. It is noted that the free slidable end 33b of the spring 33 is disposed near the jaw l5 so as to exert its pressure in the area of the said jaw l5.

In order to be able to effectively use the appliance of our invention from the floor without having to employ step ladders or chairs or stools, we mount the base support I2 for the arms I and II, on a suitable hub member 36 to which there is attached a long rod 40 of any desired suitable length for the convenience and-efliciency. To pivotally move the rigid member 29 as above described in a clockwise direction to close the jaws I4 and I we provide the rod with a pair of spaced fixed bracket members 42 and 43 through which we slidably pass another rod 50, the upper end a of which is outwardly angularly bent, as shown. The said end portion 500. of the rod is pivotally attached to an outwardly angularly bent and forked portion of the rigid member 29 by means of the pivot 55. Anysuitable handle may be provided at the lower end of the rod 50. For convenience we have shown a lever 51 pivoted at one end to the rod 40 by the pivot 58. The lever 51 is provided with a slotted opening 59 and the rod 50 is attached to the lever 51 by means of a pivot 6| operating in the slot 59.

It is thus seen from the above description that when it is desired to close the jaws l4 and I5 it is merely necessary to grasp the lever 51 and turn the same in a clockwise direction to its dotted line position 51'. This will slidably pull the rod 50 downwardly to pivotally move the arm 29 to close the jaws l4 and 15.

f .A set screw 88 carried by one of the brackets 43 may be employed to lock the rod 50 in any desired position.

It is often necessary, when servicing fluorescent lighting fixtures, to remove and replace defective starters. To this end, we have incorporated, in our appliance, the following means whereby to readily remove these defective starters without using step ladders, chairs or stools and at the same time that defective tubes are being replaced.

Attached to the bottom end of the rod 40 is a cylindrical member 10 which is preferably made of rubber or the like resilient material and which is provided with an opening H substantially similar in size and contour to that of the standard type starter S, shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. The said opening H is designed to frictionally receiv therein andgrip the starter S so that it may be manipulated to pry it loose from its socket or holder. The said member 10 may be attached to said rod '40 inany suitable manner, such as by the screws 13 shown in Fig. 4.

While we have shown, in the drawing, the jaws I4 and I5 as consisting of a single unit, we may, if desired, construct each jaw of two parts spaced from each other along the length of the glass tube T. Such construction might prove more efficient in cases where the said tubes T are of relatively greater length by affording a greater gripping area.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have herein described the principle and operation of our invention, together with apparatus which wenow consider, to represent 4 the best embodiments thereof, but we desire to have it understood that the structure shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of those may be altered and others omitted without interfering with th more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fluorescent lighting fixture servicing implementcomprising a first spring arm and a second spring arm constituting a pair of substantially vertically disposed spring arms normally spaced apart, a relatively long handle, a support for said arms disposed at one end of said handle so that the upper ends thereof will be free, an arcuate jaw member fixed to said free end of each spring arm, said jaw members being in opposed relationship and adapted to clamp and hold between them the elongated glass tube of said fluorescent lighting fixture when said spring arms are urged towards each other, and means for causing said spring arms to move toward each other, said last named means comprising a substantially horizontally disposed rod member having one end thereof pivotally mounted on said first arm and the opposite end passing freely through an open-- ing in said second arm, an abutment on said rod member, adjacent the free end thereof, an extending bracket portion on said support, a sub stantially vertically disposed rigid member pivotally mounted at the lower end thereof on said bracket and having an opening adjacent the upper free end thereof through which said horizontal rod member freely passes, said upper free end of said rigid member being disposed between said second arm and said abutment, so that pivotal movement of said rigid member in a direction toward said abutment will cause the resilient movement of said first arm toward said second arm.

2. A fluorescent lighting fixture implement according to claim 1 in which the said jaw members are provided with a layer of felt or the like resilient material to prevent injury to th said glass tube during the clamping action.

3. A fluorescent lighting fixture implement according to claim 1 in which the said jaw members are so disposed that the axes of said jaw members are substantially parallel to each other and to the axis of said glass tube.

4. A fluorescent lighting fixture implement according to claim 1 in which the said jaw members extend longitudinally for a relatively long distance along said tube.

5. A fluorescent lighting fixture servicing implement according to claim 1 in which the said tween said second arm and said rigid extension.

ROBERT 'I. RIKER. JOSEPH H. MOLAT.

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